I Will Always Come Back To You
by wolftez
Summary: When Keith comes home after a month-long rescue mission, he finds things aren't the same way that he left them with his little family. But maybe something good can come from it. [Season 8 canon divergence]


**I guess this is post-season 8, but it's not compliant with the finale episode. What finale episode? Keith and Shiro are married now and have a daughter, and thus ensues.  
**

 **I hope you guys like it! I had so much fun writing this.**

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The pain was throbbing beneath Keith's foot as he limped awkwardly down the carpeted stairs of their house, his hands gripping both of the wood rails tightly as he ran down as fast as he could in his barely contained anger.

The high pitched giggling hit his ears first as he touched ground on the first floor, and while the innocent sound usually made his heart glow in ways he'd never imagined it could, it only furthered to fuel his annoyance at the moment. He followed the sound to the kitchen where the smell of fast food hit him like a brick wall, the smell not comforting in the slightest, especially mixed with the sight of his daughter settled down on her stomach on the hardwood floor with a half-eaten chicken nugget in her hand, a spew of fries spilled out around her from the tipped over happy meal box by her legs. He was struck momentarily by the sight, his daughter breathtaking as she leaned her head of silky, dark hair back and let out another squeal of delight, her eyes pinched closed as joyous laughter took hold of her entire being, from the glowing open smile on her face to the curling of her toes that were pointing heavenward.

But, Keith was helpless to the sudden spike to his lingering anger, this time directed toward Shiro and his preference for fast food when Keith wasn't around.

"Kodi," Keith said sharply, and the girl's sweet giggles tapered off as she dropped the toy in her hand and straightened, pushing herself to her knees, her wide eyes finally taking in the sight of her dad glaring down at her. It wasn't a sight she often saw, and in the back of his mind, he knew he was scaring her, and he hated himself for it. But he'd always been quick to anger, and the mounting stress from being away from his wholesome little family for an entire month had finally caught up to him in the form of a few toys lying around in the hallway and the sight of takeout food yet again.

"Kodi," he said again, the heat steady in his voice as his mind screamed at him to tone it down. "How many times have I told you to quit leaving your toys around on the floor? I nearly fell down the stairs because you left all your action figures in the hall upstairs."

At this, the apprehension in her eyes took a back seat to the shock coloring her face. "Daddy, no! Did you knock them down?" Kodi jumped to her feet and made to run right by Keith in her sudden haste, but he was quicker. He wrapped an arm around her stomach just as she crossed him and easily brought her up into his arms to hold her against his chest. She fought and fidgeted as hard as she could to try and escape him, and he couldn't deny how adorable she looked, so fierce.

"Kodi, listen to me," Keith said, but the toddler in his arms was doing anything but.

"Daddy, I have to save them! They can't protect when you knock them down!"

"Protect what? Kodi, listen, you need to go upstairs and clean up those toys, okay? I don't want to see another toy up there or else there's gonna be problems, kid."

Keith was drained. He was mentally drained from being away from his family for a whole month to go on a rescue mission at his mother's dire request, and he was physically drained from the little tumble he'd taken against enemy fighters once he and his team had touched ground on their ally planet. It had been weeks ago, but Keith had only been home for one day, and he'd barely gotten any sleep the previous night after wanting and missing Shiro had taken precedence over flitting into a dreamless sleep.

If he had his way, he'd still be asleep in his and Shiro's warm bed, tangled in the sheets and afterglow of an amazing night, but after he'd woken up and tried to go to the bathroom for a quick minute of relief, he was heading back to his room, eyes half-closed, and nearly cursed the entire street as he'd stepped on one of Kodi's sharp action figures lying on the floor in front of his bedroom door at the top of the stairs.

His body was sleep deprived and Shiro deprived, and his mind was Kodi deprived and home deprived, and he didn't realize any of this until the moment Kodi thrashed just right and managed to slip down and out of his arms as if it were the easiest trap in the world. She ran off and up the stairs as Keith circled around to watch her go, her little legs moving so rapidly he had to blink. Had she gotten faster in his absence?

"Keith," Shiro said, and Keith whirled back around to turn his waning wrath on his husband. Shiro had his arms full of brown paper bags, the tops of bread and bananas and cauliflower stalks peeking out from the top. The sight of actual food alleviated some of his distress, but Keith looked down at the mess on the kitchen floor and felt the spark ignite once more along with the throb under the sole of his foot.

"Shiro, what is this? Why is our daughter eating takeout yet again? We've talked about this, and with me being gone for as long as I have, I worry now about just what you've been feeding her this whole time."

The pleasantly surprised smile on Shiro's face at seeing Keith up so early after a long trip faded away in favor of immediate concern. Shiro stood in the kitchen doorway that led out to the garage for a moment in stunned confusion before he blinked and turned his gaze down behind Keith. At that moment, Kodi came rushing back, roughly shouldering her way past Keith's knees and wrapping herself around the bulk of Shiro's leg. Kodi was crying, her pale cheeks splotchy as tears streamed down her face. She was gripping Shiro so tightly that he stumbled back a step to adjust his stance so he wouldn't fall over with the bags in his hands. Shiro frowned even harder at Keith, silently asking him what was wrong, but Keith could only gape at the unusual display.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Shiro said, using the soft and undemanding voice that always got Kodi to open up to him easily. He was a natural, obviously, a fact Keith had been thrilled to learn in those first few months after they'd first gotten Kodi because at least one of them knew what they were getting theirselves into.

Kodi blinked up at Keith through wet eyelashes as she hiccuped through sobs, and the sight nearly strangled his heart in on itself, the urge to step forward and wrap her tiny frame up in his arms overwhelming all of a sudden. He almost did; he took one step toward her, arms opening in a gesture meant to offer comfort, but he stopped cold when Kodi turned her head away from him and gripped Shiro harder.

He tried not show just how devastated that tiny action had rooted in him, but it was a hard thing to do in the state he was in, emotions fluctuating wildly in his still sleepy stupor. He'd come down in a fit of anger, and now he just didn't know what was going on.

It was a small comfort to see the equally puzzled look on Shiro's face as he leaned over just enough to rest the bags on the counter before he grabbed a hold of Kodi's arms to pull her up into his chest. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck as her cries muffled against his neck, Shiro's steady hand soothing circles into her back as he shushed her quietly, soft murmurs of _I'm here, it's okay_ breathing by her ear.

Keith could only stand there and try not to be jealous as he watched Kodi begin to quite down at Shiro's steady comfort. He had no reason to be jealous of his _husband_ over their _daughter._ It was ludicrous to even think like that.

And yet.

Eventually, after so many minutes of waiting out the storm, Kodi sniffled and pulled back when Shiro lightly urged her to look him in the eye. The two of them spoke quietly to each other, but Keith had walked closer a bit during her meltdown that he was able to hear better.

"Want to tell me what happened now?" Shiro said, and Kodi sniffed again, nodding slowly.

"Da—Daddy—Daddy broke my guardian," she said, her voice cracking as she finally got the words out. The admission brought a new wave of tears as she cried again, softer this time, but instead of hiding away like before, she brought her hand out from where it was trapped between her and Shiro's chest and held out the broken remnants of one of her action figures in her hand. The arm had been crushed off and was now lying in a heap beside the rest of the guardian's body, and Keith groaned to himself as he recognized this particular toy as one of Kodi's favorites.

Shiro's gaze turned sympathetic as Keith saw the relief flood his eyes, grateful that nothing was seriously wrong. "Oh, sweetie, we can fix this," Shiro said, bringing a hand up to inspect the damaged action figure. "I'm sure Daddy didn't mean to do it."

Kodi was calming down a bit again, her shaking shoulders slowing once more as the sad sound of her cries settled down to light sniffles again. Shiro's gaze cut to Keith, and he subtly nodded his head, urging Keith closer. Keith was hesitant, not wanting to set Kodi off again, so he stood still, turning his gaze down to the floor as his lingering anger from earlier all but vanished into a swirl of regret and despair.

He could hear Shiro sigh lightly to himself before his robotic arm flew around to Keith, dragging him foot by foot until he was pressed tightly against his side, Kodi being held up with his other arm. Shiro's voice was soothing to him as he let himself be wrapped up in this feel he'd missed for several weeks now, their first real separation since Kodi came into their lives.

"Kodi, I think Daddy is sad. Look at him, he's very sorry about breaking your guardian. If he'd known its true purpose, I'm sure he would have been more careful around your guardians. Isn't that right, Daddy?" Shiro tightened his grip around Keith pointedly, and Keith gathered the last bit of his strength to face Kodi head on. His daughter was gazing warily at Keith, nibbling on her bottom lip anxiously as her wet eyes darted between Keith and Shiro expectantly.

Keith sighed wearily before offering an apology. "I'm real sorry, Kodi. I didn't see where I was walking, and by the time I noticed, I'd already stepped on it. But it's dangerous to leave your toys out like that. I almost fell down the stairs because of those toys, and—"

"Well, you should have been paying attention, Daddy," she said bravely, her voice soft and firm. A startled chuckle burst from Keith, not even able to find an argument against his brilliant daughter.

"Yeah," Keith said, bringing his hand up to run his fingers through her soft hair. A few strands were matted to her cheeks, having been dried to her face by her tears, and he pushed through them to untangle her hair. "Yeah, I should have been paying attention. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Keith grabbed up her tiny hand and gently placed it against his cheek, her warm and clammy hand comforting. He'd been away for a month, and in that time, he'd tried to push down thoughts of Shiro and Kodi as best he could so that he wouldn't be wallowing for that time. But, now that he was home and surrounded by his family, he let himself enjoy the feeling of her clammy hands on his skin once more, of Shiro's comforting arm wrapped up against his side, grounding him. He was right where he was meant to be.

Kodi pressed against his cheek more forcefully, moving his skin around in amusing ways that made her smile and giggle. Then she grabbed his other cheek in her hand and moved his face all wobbly as she laughed. Shiro laughed alongside their daughter as Keith's face got smushed for their collective amusement.

"I bet I look stupid, don't I?" Keith said through fish lips, and he didn't think they even understood what he was trying to say through the forceful push and pull of his cheeks.

"Dad," Kodi said through mounting amusement, "Dad, look at Daddy! He looks funny."

Shiro nodded, his eyes sparkling with affection. "I see, honey. Can I try, too?"

Kodi hastily nodded her affirmative and dropped her hands, and Shiro brought his floating arm around to gather Keith up under his chin, squeezing his cheeks gently as he pulled their faces closer. The sweet warmth from Shiro's mouth had Keith's frazzled mind dizzy for about two seconds before Shiro swooped down and captured his lips up in his, morning breath and all tangled together.

It didn't last. Kodi let out an indignant huff before she pulled on Shiro's neck, breaking apart the languid kiss before it could barely start.

"You tricked me! You just wanted to give Daddy kisses," she said, pouting with her arms adorably crossed. Keith was overcome by the urge to swoop forward and playfully kiss the pout right off her lips, an action that never failed to make her giggle and push away from.

Shiro must have had the same idea because he cocked his dark eyebrow at her, a mischievous intent clear in his eyes. "Am I not allowed to give Daddy kisses now? Since when?"

"Since he broke my guardian." Shiro sighed, no doubt about to go into a lecture on forgiveness, but Kodi pushed on. "I _do_ forgive him, but I'm still mad at him. That was my best guardian, and now he's broken. How is he supposed to protect—"

Kodi broke off with a quick glance toward Keith before she cupped her hands around Shiro's ear to whisper loudly to him, loud enough for Keith to deceivingly hear.

"How's he supposed to protect Daddy now?"

 _Protect?_

Keith blinked at his daughter, who was steadily staring at Shiro for an answer to her whispered question, and his heart jumbled up even more. Why was she trying to protect him? Protect him from what? Protect him from something Shiro must have known about because Shiro's face was suddenly full of veiled guilt as he tried to hide his apprehension from Kodi.

"Uh… Don't worry about that, sweetie, I told you I'd fix him."

Kodi blinked owlishly up at him before nodding, finally accepting his answer. She shot one more thoughtful look at Keith before she wrapped herself around Shiro's neck once more, burying her face away. "Thanks, Dad."

Shiro hummed his assent as he rubbed her back, still gazing warily at Keith. Keith didn't want to pry; clearly this was just one of those things between Kodi and Shiro, and yeah, it fucking hurt because it never used to be like that, the three of them had no secrets between each other, but Keith wasn't about to make it a big deal. He'd get over it. This was probably just one of those growing up things that happened to everyone. It wasn't like Keith would know the etiquette of growing up in a household with two loving parents.

Keith noticed when Kodi began to sag in Shiro's arms like dead weight when a small clatter hit the floor. Her broken guardian lay in two pieces at Shiro's feet, and when Keith glanced at the kitchen clock, he noticed it was noon, time for her nap anyway. Before he could turn away and leave Shiro to it, Shiro's Altean arm quickly _whooshed_ down and grasped Keith by the forearm. He had to have been anticipating the retreat by how fast he moved, and Keith thought then how silly it was that Shiro wouldn't know all of Keith's tells by now.

"I'll be _right_ back," Shiro said, full of promise, and as he moved to walk past Keith, shuffling Kodi up higher in his arms, he pressed a soft kiss to Keith's temple before heading up the stairs to settle their daughter down into bed.

Keith sighed and figured he'd wait to hear Shiro out, explain whatever the hell has been going with their daughter in his absence. The mess on the floor from Kodi's happy meal stirred nothing in him now except a drive to clean, so after he shut the kitchen door Shiro had left open, he bent down to pocket Kodi's fallen guardian and slip it into his pocket, then he scooped all the fries up into the happy meal box to toss it all in the trash where he figured it belonged in the first place. Then, he went over to the groceries that were left out and began piling them away into the cabinet and fridge, and by the time Keith was working on tossing the peanut butter crackers onto the top shelf, warm arms found their way back to Keith, a comfortable weight resting around his waist and at the back of his neck.

Shiro hummed lowly into Keith's neck, the breath from his nose tickling him in his sweet spot, and Keith snorted lightly, twisting himself quickly in the older man's arms so that he couldn't exploit his tickling spot.

"Nice try, Shirogane, but you're not gonna be getting any laughs out of me before we talk." Keith let his fingers wander along the collar of Shiro's shirt, his fingers slipping through to run across the hard lines of his husband's clavicle. Oh, he really missed this. Out there in zero G, there was nothing to tether him to his surroundings no matter where he went, no comforting sensations he could fall back on or easy chatter to rely on to pass the time. It was just him and a space shuttle and the company of fellow Blades and rebels on his team. His mom had been along on the trip, but she'd been busy for a majority of the time, and so he didn't even have her all to himself like he would have preferred.

But here at home, he had the luxury of touching the warm skin that called to him anytime that he wanted. He had his daughter merely a name call away. He had this safe routine that was his own, and he damn well regretted falling out of sync with them even for a few weeks. It clearly opened something up between the three of them, a new dynamic that Shiro and Keith had been used to navigating together after being torn apart and put back together for most of their adult lives; but Kodi? This was uncharted territory for her, a way of life Keith had never expected his daughter to have to go through, and yet Keith couldn't say no to his mother. She'd needed him, and he'd been putting her off for way too long.

"I missed you," Shiro whispered as he brought Keith's forehead to his lips, and Keith sighed deeply as his eyes fell closed at the contact. " _We_ missed you."

Keith snorted. "Speak for yourself, Shiro, please. I saw Kodi. She's different with me."

Shiro's arms tightened around his back and neck, holding him impossibly closer. "She missed you," he said fervently before pulling back enough to look Keith in the eye. "I won't say it was easy, and … and she cried most nights, but that was only because she missed you so much. You may have noticed our pillows smell like her no tears shampoo, and that's because she's been sleeping with me for a couple weeks now. Those first few days after you left, I'd wake up and she'd just be standing there with Kosmo by her side, about to hop into the bed because she said she was scared of the night demons in her dreams, and I just let her. I was kind of lonely, too."

Keith frowned as he listened, his hands stilled on Shiro's shoulders as his heart jumped into his throat at this new information. "She cried?" Keith said softly, and Shiro swallowed, letting his eyes fall down to the soft strands of hair curling at Keith's throat. "You never said anything to me. In those video calls, you two always looked so happy, and you didn't say anything." If Keith had known the tremors going on throughout the house, he would have boarded the next shuttle out of there and headed home as quickly as he could to alleviate the trouble.

"I didn't want to upset you. And anyway, I was only following Kodi's lead. She asked me so many times when you were coming home, and when we did the calls, I thought she would ask you directly since I didn't have an answer, but she never did. She brought out the giggles with you and wanted to show you all the art she'd been doing, and only after the phone calls ended would she get sad again. But never while she was on the phone with you. Never where you could see. So, I figured she didn't want you to know. Not just yet, at least. I was going to tell you, but we've barely had a minute to talk since you got back."

Keith was beside himself with the revelation. His daughter, his beautiful, brave, and fierce daughter with a heart of gold had put on her happy face for Keith like she knew it would make things easier. Either for herself or for Keith, he didn't know, but just the thought of Kodi beating back her emotions in a bid to hide them from Keith had his heart filling with sadness that he didn't think was possible when it came to Kodi's wild antics.

Shiro continued on, digging the well of despair deeper into Keith's chest as he went. "That little guardian you stepped on? She's been laying them out every morning and every night right outside our bedroom door. She said she was putting them there to protect me from the monsters, and she said that she couldn't wait for you to come back because those guardians of hers were going to protect you the most, keep you safe here in our house so that you didn't have to leave us again."

It was suddenly hard to breathe in their tightly shared space, the heat radiating between their closeness feeling almost claustrophobic all of sudden. "Shiro, I—" Keith said, and Shiro tightened his grip at Keith's raw tone. Keith gripped Shiro's collar more forcefully as he gazed down at where their chests met. He just couldn't look him in the eye and admit defeat, admit that he'd failed his family for the very first time in their short time together as a trio. Merely three years. He had to blink back the sting in his eyes, but Shiro knew. Shiro always knew Keith like he was an open book even though everyone knew that he was the toughest nut to crack.

"Baby," Shiro said gently, and when Keith ignored him halfheartedly, Shiro brought his hand up to tilt Keith's face upward, unable to hide from him. Concern was written all over Shiro's face from his drawn lips to his slanted eyebrows. "Why are you about to cry?"

Keith nearly choked, the obvious letdown speaking volumes for itself that Keith didn't know how it wasn't clear to Shiro. "You don't find that sad? How our five-year-old is setting up action figures to try and _protect_ me? To keep me here so that I won't leave her again? And I was so mean to her, I came down here yelling at her that she needed to clean up her mess upstairs, and then I accidentally _broke_ the most important damn guardian, and, you know, it didn't help that she was surrounded by fast food," Keith said, ending up narrowing his eyes at Shiro. "Please don't tell me you've been feeding her that junk the whole time."

Keith didn't really want to talk about the fries and chicken nuggets, but it was so hard to think on the other bits because he knew he was solely to blame for Kodi's meltdown, and he hated feeling responsible for her tears.

Shiro's lips quirked up at the side, seeing right through Keith's weak defense. "What I think is sad is how you're putting all of this on your own shoulders like a loss. Kodi's a lot stronger than you give her credit for, and I have to say that I actually admire her bravery. She was scared and sad, but she didn't let it show when it was important. She put on a brave face and trudged onward because that's what her daddies have always taught her. Just imagine the kind of woman she's gonna grow up to be. Someone strong and focused, like your mother. Someone resourceful and clever, like Pidge. A leader who knows exactly what to do and say at just the right moment, like Allura. Kodi's gonna be incredible because she's got the best role models in the galaxy raising her, and you should be proud."

"I am proud of her," Keith said quickly, softly, letting Shiro's perspective wash through him. He wanted to believe him, wanted desperately to think that the outcome of this whole trip had inspired something positive in Kodi, but he couldn't help the doubts that crept around in his thoughts. "But she's only a baby. She shouldn't have to be so brave to try and protect us. That's our job, and I pushed her to that too early."

Shiro huffed a laugh as he brought both of his hands up to card through Keith's hair, the action soothing him from the inside out. "She's not a baby, Keith. She's growing into her own personality now, and you didn't push her to anything. She's always been brave from the very moment we laid eyes on her. Don't you remember how readily she accepted us as her family? That first night, she didn't want anyone else but you when it was time for bed. I tried singing to her and rocking her and even made the most ridiculous faces to try and get her to crack a smile, and she didn't want anything to do with it. But as soon as she was scooped up tight in your embrace, she dozed off right on your shoulder. Her heart's been on her sleeve since day one, and that takes bravery."

Keith couldn't refute that. He knew just how hard it was to adapt to living with a new family at such a young age, and Keith remembered himself how hard it was to open up to new people, to lay himself bare for scrutinization. It had been so hard, and while he knew he'd been a brave kid, he'd never been brave in that way, brave enough to bare his soul out for potential hurt. He'd always kept it tucked away inside himself, and it had taken him a long time to gain that sense of bravery to open himself up to someone else. There were still times when he just wanted to hide away and be inside his bubble of comfort, but learning to let people in wasn't an overnight process. It took time and a strong will.

According to the adoption agency, Kodi had been a particularly feisty baby, crying all hours of the night and unable to conform to an average baby's daily schedule, and so she'd been a bit of a hard case from the very beginning. To think that Kodi had been passed around from family to family for the first two years of her life, just like Keith had when he was older, and still managed not to come to Shiro and Keith damaged in any discernible way they could tell had been a miracle. Perhaps it was easier since she was so young, not yet able to consciously build any defensive walls like Keith had learned how to perfect, but there was still something to be said for her wholehearted acceptance of Shiro and Keith. He'd known that she fit right in with them from the very beginning, and they'd never looked back since.

She'd been brave from the very beginning, so why did Keith feel like this was different? Like he'd done some irreparable damage? He voiced as much to Shiro as he let himself rest against the hardness of Shiro's chest, winding his arms around his husband as he sought answers for his doubts.

Shiro hummed as he thought, sliding his hand up and down Keith's spine not unlike how he had done to do Kodi earlier. "You know, I saw your face when Kodi whispered into my ear. Well," Shiro chuckled, " _tried_ to whisper. But you looked so hurt, like you couldn't understand why she would try to keep something from you."

Keith chewed on his lip. "She's never kept secrets from me before. I don't like it."

"It wasn't really a secret. I think she just doesn't want you to try and take this from her." Keith pulled back and drew in an offended breath, but Shiro silenced him with a finger to his open lips. "Did you not just try and convince me that she didn't have to protect you?"

Keith sputtered and pulled Shiro's finger away from his mouth. "Well, yeah, but that was just me complaining to you. I would never try and take away whatever peace of mind those toys are giving her."

" _I_ know that. But remember last month, like, right before you left when she tried to sleep with one of your blades under her pillow, and you freaked out and took it away and promised her that you would kill the night demons for her if they ever came?"

"That was different! It was my blade, not some toy. She could have seriously cut herself."

"I _know_ that, but she didn't. She didn't really understand us when we told her the danger of sharp things because she's never cut herself before. All she knew was that you were taking away her newfound ability to defend herself."

Keith huffed and leaned back to rest himself against the kitchen counter, arms folded. "What are you saying, that it's my fault she doesn't want to open up to me anymore?"

Keith could tell Shiro was trying to hold back an affectionate eye-roll as he followed Keith into his space, leaning his hands on the counter on either side of Keith's hips, effectively trapping him. "Why are you so stubbornly cynical? I'm only giving you what you asked me for. I'm saying that Kodi's perspective is limited in that she doesn't know the same things that we know."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Okay? So….?"

Shiro tipped his head down to gaze at their feet as his shoulders shook with silent laughter, and when he came back up, his eyes were glittering with amusement. " _So,_ I know it hurt you when she didn't want to say those things in front of you. You probably think it's because of something you did to push her away, but I promise you it's not. Well … nothing you can't fix, anyway."

At that, Shiro pushed himself tall and headed over to one of the cabinets that was too high for Keith to reach, and when Shiro came back to him, he held out his hand like a peace offering.

"You can't take something from her without giving her something in return. I bought this last week and never got a chance to give it to her, but I think it'd be better coming from you."

Keith swallowed hard as he took the toy blade from Shiro's hand. He ran his fingers along the dull, plastic edge of the blade, its little purple handle causing a smile to quirk up the side of his lips. It _was_ her favorite color, after all.

"I don't want to take this from you," Keith said, but he didn't give up the blade as he silently inspected it. "I should've thought of this, it was my mistake."

 _Thump, thump, bump._

Two pairs of eyes glanced overhead at the ceiling at the soft noises from the second floor, and they followed the sound as a door creaked overhead. Then there was silence.

Keith started as Shiro's hand clasped over Keith's as he folded their hands over the toy blade in Keith's hand. "Go," Shiro said with finality. "Make it right. I have more groceries to get from the car anyway."

Shiro grasped Keith's face up between his hands as he planted a soft, warm kiss to his lips before he smiled and urged Keith toward the hallway. Before he could get too far away, Keith whirled around and grasped him by the shoulder, Shiro's gaze flying back to his immediately.

"Thank you," Keith said, and he hoped Shiro understood that he was thanking him for more than just this small chance to repair a foolish mistake he'd made weeks ago. That he was thanking him for being such an attentive husband, always there to help Keith out when Keith didn't even know he'd dug himself into a hole. That he was thanking him for being such a warm and kind father to their daughter, spreading the perfect foundation of love for Kodi to grow and prosper from. Shiro was everything good about the world, and Keith thanked the stars every night that he was able to call Shiro his own. His family. There was no one else who could ever compare to his husband, and Keith and Kodi were so lucky to have him in his most vulnerable state.

"Anything for you, Keith. Anything for both of you. I'll always be here to keep the peace between you two," Shiro said, chuckling. "You two are too alike for your own damn good."

Shiro left him alone in the hallway, the sound of his soft laughter fading away back into the kitchen, and the sound cleansed his tortured soul. Keith took a deep breath; he could do this.

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, the sight of Kodi's dark hair as she sat on the second-floor landing just barely peeking over the floor's edge. He couldn't see her face from here, but he was suddenly scared to face her. Which was ridiculous because Keith had gone up against the most feared bad guys in the galaxy: Zarkon and Lotor and Honerva, and their minions who were just as terrible and troublesome, but Keith had done it all with nerves of steel. Now, it was time to face his five-year-old daughter who would barely hurt a fly, and he couldn't find the will to move his feet.

Maybe because nothing was as precious as the coming moment. Before, if he'd failed in taking down the bad guy, then he could always dust himself off and try again. He couldn't do that with Kodi. If he made one too many mistakes with her, then their relationship could damage beyond his control, and she meant too much to him to risk it and fail. This had to go perfectly.

He wasn't ready, but Kodi had never been one to wait for Keith, to wait for anyone. She was peeking at him through the slits of the banister, her hands gripping the slim columns loosely as her face smooshed adorably through the slits. He guessed it was now or never.

"Whatcha doing, kid? You didn't sleep very long," Keith said as he began a slow ascension up the stairs, Kodi's eyes never leaving him until he'd reached the top and she couldn't see him anymore. She pulled back and sat back on her knees, going back to her original task which apparently was doing what he'd asked earlier and picking up all her little guardians. He took no pleasure in seeing her do it now.

Keith sank down to his knees to mirror Kodi, a plethora of toys between them. He didn't want to get too close and scare her off though, so this would have to do. She didn't look up as he waited for her, but the silence wasn't awkward. Heavy, maybe, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Still, he wanted it to go back to before: light and happy, carefree.

"You don't have to do that. You can keep them up," he said, and she finally stopped her slow grabbing, the guardian in her hand now falling to the floor with her hand.

"They don't even work because you almost fell down the stairs. They're not supposed to do that, they're supposed to—"

 _Oh,_ and her voice was so sad, even when the way she pronounced _supposed_ like _'posed_ usually made him smile. She was truly heartbroken at the thought that her guardians had failed her, and Keith dug his nails into his palms to steady himself. He could be a real asshole sometimes.

"Don't say that," Keith said gently, but Kodi wasn't having it. She shook her head vehemently and began picking up her toys faster now, tossing the guardians one by one into her little toy box she'd brought out of her room. Keith had to do something.

"Kodi, look. I—I have something for you," he said, holding his hand out, the blade part in his hand while only the purple handle was visible. Kodi paused her rough thrashing and stopped to stare at the handle enticing her. Her eyes shot up to his, wide and hopeful, and he smiled encouragingly at her. "It's yours."

Carefully, she reached out and wrapped her little fingers around the handle, the perfect size for her, and when she pulled it out of his hand, unsheathing the blade part, she gasped, her entire face lighting up at the present.

"A blade!" she said, marveling at the toy that was a bit too realistic, but Keith thought it was cool. He knew Kodi would appreciate its life-likeness, as well.

"Yup. Your very own blade. I know I took away your last one, but I need you to understand that that was one of mine, made specifically for adults. It was dangerous to kids, so I got you one made especially for kids. To keep you safe when things feel scary in the night."

A tiny divot appeared between her dark eyebrows as she gazed at Keith skeptically. "Is this still dangerous for demons?"

Keith put on his serious face, playing the danger up for Kodi. "Of course. This blade is still deadly against any monsters, but it's just made smaller so kids can handle it better. Those demons better not be coming for you now because you're protected now. Dad and I made sure of it."

Kodi broke into a radiant smile, her entire face rivaling Shiro's bright grin as she bounced happily on her knees. She could barely contain herself as she pushed herself to her feet and barreled into him, knocking an _oof_ out of him as he wrapped his arms around her back, and they fell down to the carpet together, her happy squeals drowning his ears.

"You're the best daddy ever!" she said, and Keith only laughed, holding his daughter tighter to him. Of course she'd say that when he'd just presented her with the gift she'd been wanting most, and he knew he still needed to explain some things to her to get them back on track, but this was a start. But when she murmured her next words softly and seriously, his heart jumped into his throat, the sudden change tugging at his heartstrings. "I love you."

Keith let his hand roam up and down her back for a second before he motioned for her to sit up a bit. She leaned up just enough to cross her arms beneath her chin and rest them on his chest, not wanting to get up entirely, but at least he could see her face now.

"I love you, too, Kodi. You're the best thing I've ever had," he said, running his hands through her long hair. It comforted him just as much as he knew it comforted her, and they sat there with their eyes closed in a content silence as he continued petting her hair.

He didn't know how much time passed, but soon Kodi was speaking again, and he opened his eyes to her vulnerable gaze.

"I missed you, Daddy."

Right. The heart of their tiny rift. Keith had already made up his mind while he was walking up those stairs to her that he wasn't going to go back out there anymore, not without his family there, too. Or he'd at least wait until Kodi was older. Five years old was way too young to be leaving her for long periods of time.

"I know you did. I missed you, too. You and Dad, both. I thought about you every night before bed, how I wanted to be reading you your bedtime story, or making you a wholesome dinner instead of that yucky takeout food I bet Dad has been giving you."

Kodi giggled, the rumbles from her body vibrating through his chest. "It's not yucky. Dad didn't know how to cook good like you, so he said I could have some until you got back."

Keith snorted amusedly. He knew it _._ "I bet he did."

Kodi's light laughter faded away, and she wasted no time in hitting him with another heavy question, her voice sounding small as she asked.

"Why did you have to leave?"

He supposed he should have seen this one coming. She'd asked him before he left why he was leaving, and all he had said then was that he was needed to go out there to help his mom on a mission. She never said anything against it, so he figured she understood as well as a five-year-old could. But now, after the whole thing was said and done, Keith couldn't think of a single reason why the rescue mission had seemed more important than staying here for his family.

Keith scooted up to rest his back against the banister and settled Kodi easily in his lap, her troubled gazed never straying far from his face.

"Kodi," he started and sighed wearily. How was he supposed to answer for himself?

Kodi picked up her blade and played with the plastic edges. "Dad said you were helping people. People who were in trouble. Is that right?" She turned her face back up to him, her bright eyes full of questions she was determined to get answers for.

Keith nodded, finding it easier to answer her questions than to figure out where to start himself. Shiro had followed her lead before, and Keith could do that now. "Yeah. Yeah, some people were in trouble on another planet. Innocent people who needed my mom's help, and she asked me to come with her because we're stronger together. So, I did. We went, and we fought some bad guys, and we saved some people. And we were lucky that things turned out okay. But I don't think I'm gonna go back out there."

Kodi's eyes shot up to his, the shock on her face startling him. "Why not?"

Keith paused, caught off guard. "Because I don't want to leave you again. I shouldn't have the first time because I don't think it was good for any of us."

"It was good for the people you helped. They needed you."

"But you need me, too, Kodi, and you're the most important person I care about. Of course I'm gonna pick you first over everyone else." Kodi looked conflicted as she bit her lip and played with her blade, poking her finger against the tip of it. Keith didn't understand the look. "Isn't this what you wanted?" he asked her, and she faced him again. "Don't you want me here with you and Dad?"

"Yeah, I do, but … but other people need you, too. You should go help them. I have Dad to help me when you're gone. We'll be okay."

"Kodi…" Keith said, and he didn't know what to say. He didn't think he truly understood how brave his daughter really was until she was sitting here in his lap and telling him to go help people. That her and Shiro will be okay here until he returned. It was too much wisdom for a child to have, and he wasn't sure how she managed to get this way. Surely, some of Shiro's nobleness and selflessness had rubbed off on her, and he didn't know how he'd never seen it before. It was true what they said: absence really did make the heart grow fonder. And in Keith's case, clearer.

Without much preamble, Kodi brought her arms up to sling around Keith's neck, and he melted into her warm embrace, having missed it for nearly a month now.

"You should still go, Daddy. Please don't leave those people alone because you don't want to leave me. Dad and I will still be here, I promise."

Keith chuckled wetly, and it was only then that he noticed a few tears had snuck out of the corners of his eyes. Kodi pulled back and laid her hands flat against his cheeks as she rubbed the tears away concernedly. "Don't be sad," she said.

He huffed a laugh as he brought his hands up to clasp around her wrists. "I'm not sad, sweetie, I'm happy. I'm so proud of you for being so strong about all of this. I think you might even be stronger than me right now."

Kodi smiled at him before she squeezed his cheeks tightly between her hands, displaying her strength for him. "Dad says I'm super strong because I beat him at arm wrestling last week!"

"You did?"

"Uh huh! He said it was probably because my guardians were giving me strength," she said, but as soon as she mentioned her guardians, her face fell, and she glanced back down at the few guardians that were still left on the floor. "I think he was wrong. They don't even work."

Keith reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the dismembered guardian he'd stepped on, and Kodi sighed as she glanced at it. "What's the deal with these guardians, anyway? You never told me."

"Well," she said, drawing the word out. "I _wanted_ to tell you, but I thought you'd take them like you did my blade."

"You mean _my_ blade, and that was different; that was dangerous. And I'm sorry I did that, by the way. That's why I got you a new one because I want you to trust me with your secrets."

Kodi chewed on her lips as she scooped up the broken guardian in her hand and placed the arm back at the shoulder. She let go, and it fell in their lap.

"I put the guardians at your door to protect Dad at night time because of the demons in my dreams. You took my blade—"

" _My_ blade."

"—and I didn't want Dad to have no protection. Then I said when you came back, they would protect you more because I didn't want you to leave me again."

Keith's heart tugged at her words. "But you just said—"

"I changed my mind. I was just scared before. But you came back, so I know you'll come back to me again. Just like Dad said you always did for him."

Kodi looked so honest as she gazed up at him with her big, brown eyes. Like what she was saying was so normal for a kid to be saying. To be honest, Keith didn't really know if it was normal for kids to want to be protecting their parents or trying to be brave for them, but something told him that this particular trait was Kodi-centric. Something that was wholly hers, and he loved her immensely for it.

"I'll always come back for you, too," Keith said solemnly, grabbing onto her hand tightly. "You never need to worry about that."

"I know, Daddy."

With her words said so resolutely, Keith took a deep breath in and let it out, all of the tension from the morning blowing out of him in waves as all he was left with was a peaceful contentedness. They were going to be okay.

"You know," Keith said, picking up the broken parts to her guardian in his hands. "I think these guardians really are magical. I mean, they brought me back to you, didn't they? And they kept Dad safe while I was gone?"

Kodi thought about it, tilting her head to the side. "I guess," she said hopefully.

"You should leave them out, let them recharge and gain their power back. I'll be watching out for them from now on, I swear."

Her eyes lit up. "Really?"

Keith swiped an X across his heart with his finger. "Cross my heart."

"Okay!" she said, and she scrambled away from him and began pulling the guardians out of her box and setting them up in dutiful lines near his bedroom door again.

"And don't worry about this one. Dad said he'd fix it for you," Keith said as his mind started searching for the super glue he knew was probably in one of the kitchen drawers.

But Kodi leapt up before Keith could even think about heading downstairs to fix it. She grabbed the broken guardian and cradled it protectively to her chest. "No, don't fix it," she said quickly, and when Keith only raised his hands in surrender to her wishes, the tension in her shoulders uncoiled themselves. "I like it like this," she said softly, almost shyly.

Keith raised an eyebrow. "You like them broken like that?"

Kodi shook her head and pulled the guardian out to gaze at it, the broken arm having fallen to the floor as she seemingly forgot about it. "He's not broken. He just got one arm now. Not all guardians have two arms. Dad doesn't, and he's the best guardian in the world."

Keith didn't think it was possible for his heart to fill anymore, but he was dead wrong. He literally felt like he was bursting at the seams as he watched Kodi go back to her line of guardians and set the one-armed guardian ahead of the rest, ready to lead the charge at the first sign of war. She acted as if she hadn't just said the sweetest thing he'd ever heard come from her lips, because to her, it wasn't anything special, it was just fact. Her dad had one flesh arm; her dad was the best guardian in the world. And those two facts weren't in spite each other but rather they were woven together synonymously to describe her dad in her eyes—and that was the most beautiful thing to Keith.

Keith watched her for a moment, his heart glowing brighter than it ever had before, and he considered her words. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to head back out there on more rescue missions. He did miss the thrill of battle, and occasionally sparring with Shiro helped him get his fix, but there was nothing like the adrenaline rush that accompanied defeating your foe, a sense of pride he'd missed feeling having resurged to the forefront this past month.

He'd gladly give all of that up for his family, though, but maybe he didn't have to. Maybe, like Kodi said, they'd be okay if he did a few missions every couple of months or so.

He needed to talk to Shiro though. See where he stood on all of this. Kodi had made her feelings pretty clear, and to be honest, she was his biggest worry in all of this. Now that he had one down, he figured had one to go.

Keith hauled himself up and carefully stepped around the guardians to plant a kiss on her head and ruffle her hair before he scrambled down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Shiro was sitting in one of the chairs at the table as he scrolled through his data pad, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. When he caught sight of Keith in his peripheral, his head shot up, and he flashed him a small smile.

"How'd it go? She forgive you when you came bearing gifts?" Shiro said, resting his data pad onto the tabletop to give Keith his full attention. Keith strode over and sunk down into Shiro's lap, slinking one of his arms around his neck so he could lay his head down on his shoulder.

"Kodi and I are tight," Keith said, bringing his hand up to twist his fingers in a demonstration of just how tight his relationship with his daughter was. Shiro chuckled as he wrapped his arms loosely around Keith's waist.

"And all was right with the world," Shiro said lightly, dipping his thumb beneath Keith's ridden up shirt to swipe at his hip. It was a soothing gesture which Shiro was damn good at. If he kept it up, Keith would be falling asleep right here in his lap like Kodi does.

They basked in each other's warmth for a while, and Keith very nearly dozed back off on Shiro's shoulder when the loud humming sound coming from upstairs caught him aware again, and Shiro snorted a laugh beneath him.

"Kodi's been humming that same song for weeks now, and I can't figure out where she got it from."

Keith listened intently for a moment before he recognized a bit of the song for what it was. Latin pop.

"Wait a sec," Keith said, pulling back to gaze at Shiro through narrowed eyes. "Didn't you say you took her to visit the rest of the gang a couple weeks ago?"

Shiro sucked on his tongue as he thought back. "Yeah, we all met up at Lance and Allura's house, and then Lance took her to go play with his own children, and—"

Shiro's eyebrows shot up with understanding, and together, they said, " _Lance._ "

Keith laughed as Shiro shook his head at his own obliviousness. "It's so obvious now," Shiro said as Kodi's loud humming turned to singing, a few Spanish words hitting their ears in broken chunks as she skipped over the words she didn't know.

"What is she even saying? I feel like we should know."

Shiro strained to hear her, and when she said a string of words very clearly, Shiro's eyes widened, his ears turning pink at the tips.

"What did she just say?" Keith demanded, and Shiro looked like he was trying hard not to laugh.

He couldn't hold back the first giggle though when he opened his mouth, and he had to clear his throat to keep from letting any more out. "It's been awhile since I've brushed up on my Spanish, so I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure our five-year-old daughter just said that she wanted to slowly undress someone with kisses…"

Keith blinked once, twice at him before solemnly declaring, "So, Lance is a dead man."

"Keith," Shiro said, an amused smile lighting up his eyes, but Keith was already shaking his head.

"Nope. You won't deter me this time, Shiro. I will wring his neck and throttle his brain until something turns back on in his head because now our daughter is picking up all the wrong words, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna have her going out in public singing about kissing—"

"Baby, babe, babe," Shiro laughed, clutching Keith tighter around the waist as he nuzzled into his neck, his warm breath tickling Keith until a small chuckle escaped him. "Learning a second language so young is a good thing. Remember we told Lance that he could teach her a thing or two if he wanted?"

" _Not_ if she's learning the lyrics to 'Despacito' before all of the basics. Lance is going about it all wrong!"

"'Despacito'? What is that?"

Keith smacked a hand over his face in agony. " _Oh my god_ , _Shiro, stop killing me._ "

"What? I don't know what that is. Must have happened during my mission to Kerberos. I missed an entire year of pop culture on earth whereas you missed none of that, so _excuse me_ for not knowing about a song."

Keith smirked and grabbed Shiro by the cheeks. "Tell me about it," Keith said before he planted a kiss to his lips. It was chaste, but Keith's mind was already wandering back to his conversation with Kodi earlier. "Speaking of missions," Keith said, biting his lip. "Kodi said something that got me thinking."

Shiro was all concern now at Keith's anxious face, and he picked up the steady rhythm on his hip again. He didn't say anything; he just waited patiently for Keith to get on with whatever was on his mind. Keith swallowed and figured he'd just better come out with it. "Do you think I did the right thing taking that rescue mission?"

Surprise took over Shiro's face at the unexpected question, but he recovered quickly, clearing his throat and tightening his grip around Keith. "You know I always support you in everything you choose to do. I always will."

"I know that, but that's not what I'm asking."

A beat passed before Shiro sighed. "I know that, too." Keith waited this time as Shiro searched for the right words. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before he finally settled, and said, "I think the only thing that majorly concerns me is Kodi."

"How so?"

A tiny huff left Shiro's lips. Loaded question, Keith supposed. "I mean, you didn't see her. She was so sad and scared that you wouldn't come back, and it was hard trying to reassure her that you were fine; that you had a whole team and your mother beside you who wouldn't let anything bad happen to you. I even told her how I wasn't scared for you because I knew you were safe and protected. I thought it'd help calm her, but the only thing that really settled her down was when you came back yesterday."

Shiro smiled as they remembered their reunion yesterday, a fanciful event that had taken place at the garrison where Keith had landed. Shiro and Kodi were right there with the rest of the families, and Kodi had slipped through the barrier and ran to him before anyone else could even be properly allowed past the line. Everything around him had fallen away as Keith bent down to his knee to catch her running form, and once he'd had her in his arms, he'd shot them up and twirled her around, her squeals of delight sounding like heaven after a month of nothing but monotonous tone after tone and sounds of blasters shooting feet away from him, barely missing him with skilled maneuvers of his body.

But he'd been missing something. Something that came to him merely a moment later as Shiro gathered the both of them up in his arms and kissed Keith all over his face, much to Kodi's amusement. They'd whispered their _I love_ _you_ 's and _I missed_ _you_ 's, and Keith had never felt more at home then right there with his two favorite people.

"Kodi had woken up at five in the morning for that," Shiro said, and Keith smiled fondly. He could imagine her shaking Shiro awake before the sun had even risen and demanding to be taken to the garrison to wait. "Even though you weren't scheduled to touch ground until 1500 hours."

Keith toyed with the collar of Shiro's shirt, folding the flaps over and over before he asked, "And were you?"

"Was I what?"

Keith's eyes flicked toward Shiro's. "Scared. For me. Like how you reassured Kodi you weren't. Were you?"

Shiro kept trying to tell Keith how Kodi was the one who needed to be worried about, but Keith already knew where she stood. She voiced her concerns and consequently alleviated those concerns by herself, and Keith had everything he needed from her. Now it was time to focus on Shiro.

The man in question was gazing steadily at Keith's throat, his face completely neutral beside the fact that the pulse at his throat was jumping like crazy. Keith could only imagine how fast his heart was beating, so he slid his hand down to feel for himself. It felt like a tiny bird was fluttering around inside of his chest, wild and trapped, and Keith caught Shiro's eyes again.

"You're scared now," Keith said, and it wasn't a question. The proof of his words was beneath his fingertips, clearly felt by the both of them.

Shiro didn't deny it, but he gently tore Keith's hand away from his heart and into his own, lacing their fingers together with ease. He still wasn't looking at Keith, but Keith thought he had his answer already.

"If you don't want me to go again, just say the word. I'd drop it all for you. I'd drop it all," Keith said quietly, honestly, and it was meant to be a comfort, to ease Shiro's place in his life, but Shiro flinched at the words, cringing in his hold.

"It shouldn't be like that," Shiro said as he closed his eyes and tipped his head toward Keith's shoulder. Their conjoined hands fell down to their sides, and Keith pulled out of it to wrap an arm around Shiro's neck, threading his fingers through the coarse hairs at the back of his neck. "You shouldn't want to do that for me."

Which was preposterous. What wouldn't Keith give to make life easier on his husband? His daughter? It wasn't like these rescue missions were his life, his passion. He could certainly do without them like he'd been doing for years now. Keith's quiet gig at the garrison teaching a new wave of cadets year after year was more than enough to keep him occupied and content with his life, knowing that he was helping people with the knowledge he'd acquired over his young adult life. So, if his family needed him here, then he'd damn well be here for them.

Shiro took a shuddering breath against his shoulder before he lifted his face to gaze at Keith head on. His eyes were tortured with an internal battle Keith didn't fully understand. "Do you remember when we were out there?" Shiro said, pointing aimlessly at the sky, and above that, to the stars. Where Keith and Shiro had gone through much of their journey together. Where they'd finally realized just how deep their connection ran. Where they'd both endured the worst years of their life and battled against so many obstacles that tested their mental sanity and physical limits, and yet they still managed to come home together, their love stronger than ever.

Yeah, Keith remembered when they were out there.

But Shiro wasn't talking about that. He continued on, his voice growing stronger with his rising emotions. "You were a force to be reckoned with, Keith. An entire being full of energy and determination and passion and full of _heart._ You thrived on the battlefield. You're a leader, Keith, and a fighter, and I know you miss the fight."

Keith shook his head softly. "I don't—"

"You _do._ I know you, and yeah, it was pretty hard with you being away. I never thought of myself as a single parent, but it almost felt that way sometimes. Kodi can be so … so … so much like you, and it can be trying at times. I don't want to contain her and inhibit her, but it's so hard when you're not here because you're perfect with her. You know exactly what to do and say to make things better, and I feel like I don't even know what I'm doing with her."

Keith was fully situated in Shiro's lap now, his legs on either side of Shiro's hips as he let Shiro press firm, anxious fingers into his hips, grounding him the way Keith knows it can. It broke his heart to hear the anguish in his lover's voice as he trembled his way through his own confession that seemed even sadder than Kodi's strong and honest confession. It had been easier with her because she was still so young and full of hope. She'd never dealt with a broken promise before or dealt with trauma and Keith fucking hoped to the stars that she would never have to deal with that.

But Shiro… Shiro had been through so much. He'd gained and lost, having lost more than he'd ever thought possible, and for him, Keith and Kodi were his last lifelines. The very people in his life that he would die to protect, and here Keith was trying to throw himself into the battle once more. Keith couldn't be selfish here. Not with them.

"Shiro," Keith said, and he used his grip on Shiro's hair to pull him back slightly to look him in the eye. "I have a life here. I have a job that I love, a family that I dote on, and friends who keep me company and keep my head out of trouble. It's a simple life, but it's my life, and nobody chose this for me. I didn't sacrifice any part of myself by choosing to settle down with you, so don't feel bad for asking me not to go. Just be honest, because that's the only way this works."

Shiro huffed shakily. "Honest? If I was being honest, I'd say I never wanted you to leave our bed again. I'd say that anyone out there who needed us can fuck off because it's our turn at happiness. When is it our turn, Keith? When will the world stop demanding so much more of us than they do everyone else?"

Keith swallowed at the bare honesty in Shiro's unflinching voice, the force of it startling Keith just a bit. He knew Shiro had been happy enough to go back to his old life at the garrison and set the fight aside for Keith, but more importantly for Kodi. Shiro wanted to be here for all of her formative moments, and he wanted to create something more than the destruction they'd witnessed for years on end in space. The thrill of leading a charge into battle was dormant in Shiro now, taking a backseat while his familial urges took precedence for once, and so Keith had thought his transgressions had taken a backseat as well.

He was so wrong.

Shiro was still hurting, and Keith was a fool to think otherwise. They'd gotten through their trauma as much as they could though, sorting through each and every event with therapists provided from the garrison. It had helped the both of them immensely, eventually reaching a point where they felt comfortable enough to add to their family. Kodi. But he supposed they still had to take it one day at a time.

Still carding his fingers through his hair, Keith said quietly, "You know what Kodi said to me upstairs?" Shiro sniffed and shook his head once. "She told me to go. She actually _wanted_ me to go back out there on more rescue missions."

The shock flooded Shiro's face entirely, the same feeling that had swept through Keith at their daughter's quiet admission. "She—She did?"

"Yeah," Keith said, nodding, a small smile on his lips. "She told me how scared she was when I was gone, but when I came back yesterday, she knew that I would always come back. She said she knew that because _you_ told her that. You told her how I always came back to you no matter how many times we lost each other, and she knew then when I touched ground again that your words were true. She's so brave, Shiro, and selfless. She's just like you, and you two have more in common than you give yourself credit for."

Shiro looked stunned as he gazed unseeingly past Keith's shoulder. He didn't think Shiro knew how to process the curveball Kodi had thrown them, and he didn't blame him. Kodi never failed to surprise them somehow.

"Oh, wow," Shiro said, and now he just sounded defeated. "Oh, Keith, I'm—I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

Shiro squeezed his waist tightly as he sucked in a breath. "Because even Kodi is stronger than I am. She's willing to let you go out there to save people, to be a hero, and I can't even— I can't— Fuck," Shiro said, and he closed his eyes once more, something that just wouldn't do.

Keith grasped his face firmly beneath his palms and waited until Shiro opened his eyes to him before he spoke. "You listen to me, Takashi. You are the most precious person to me, and I don't ever want you to feel like you need to quiet yourself for me. I want to know how you're feeling because you're priority number one to me, and everything else can fall behind that. And you know why? Because you're right. It _is_ our turn at happiness, and the world isn't demanding anything from us anymore. At least, it doesn't have to. I can always say no, and the world will keep on turning. But I need to know how you feel."

He needed Shiro to understand. They had escaped the war with barely their lives; they didn't owe anyone anything anymore. They'd done their duty for several years, and it was more than anyone should have had to experience for an entire lifetime, so if they wanted to cut ties with the battle, then there was no one who could say they didn't deserve that.

Shiro was shaking his head beneath Keith's palms, but he didn't look sad anymore. If anything, he looked more resolved than he had since they started this conversation. "No," Shiro said, voice firm. "No, I won't take this from you."

"Shiro—"

Shiro squeezed his hips to silence him, and Keith dropped his hands to his shoulders as Shiro's eyes began to clear, a firm resolution solidifying in his gaze. "Just listen. When you went out last month, we barely had any warning. Your mother came and asked for your help, and there was barely any time to debate it amongst ourselves before she reiterated just how time-sensitive the mission was. And so, I told you to go because I saw how bright and fiery your eyes were. You may think you're done with the fight, but your drive was merely sleeping. I _know_ this."

Keith didn't contradict him this time because he wasn't wrong. He knew how thrilled his body got when the heat of a fight was at his fingertips, the hard feel of power coursing through his veins and being used to takedown enemies lighting him up from the deepest parts of himself. When he'd gotten into his first space battle a couple weeks ago, he'd been rusty to start, the urge to purposely not destroy his foe wanting to take over just like how he'd been doing for years sparring with Shiro. But, once he'd gotten knicked on the arm by his enemy, it was like something flicked on in his head, and he slew down his attackers in a matter of moments, the rage and fear having consumed him until all he knew was the fight and the need to overcome them.

But Keith wasn't lying either. Being up there and fighting the bad guys wasn't his passion, and he'd gladly put a halt on that thrill if Shiro just asked, but _damn_ if it didn't feel good to have the weight of a blade in his hand.

And he loved Shiro for knowing this.

Shiro was biting on his bottom lip hard, and Keith brought his hand up to gently pull it free. Keith kissed him softly for a moment, feeling warm and free and _loved._ Understood. When they pulled away, Shiro rested his forehead against Keith's, little puffs of air sliding into his mouth.

"Is it okay if I just ask you to wait? I don't want to stop you from being up there, but … can I just have a little more time with you here? Maybe more than a couple day's notice next time."

The sweet guilt on his face almost made Keith want to kiss it away, chase away his unwarranted feelings with reassuring touches.

Keith smiled at him as he ran a hand through his pillowy, white hair. "How about this. I'll wait until Kodi is a little older. Spend as much time seeing her touch those milestones as I can before I go back up. And even then, I'll only take a handful of planned missions a year, nothing more than a month if I can help it. This gives us plenty of time to prepare for it, and I won't miss her important moments. I'd only been gone for a month this time, and already I feel like I missed so much. Did she get taller? She definitely got faster."

Shiro giggled into him, and the sound made Keith sigh longingly. He could sit here and listen to all of Shiro's happy sounds for eternity. "I don't know about faster, but toddlers grow at such a rapid rate that she probably took on an inch or two since you left."

Keith whined and straightened his limbs out around Shiro like a yawning kitten. "No," he drawled out. "No, see that won't do. I'm not gonna leave and come back to a rebelling sixteen-year-old who hates me because I was never around."

"Sixteen?" Shiro laughed. "You plan on being in space without us for more than ten years?"

Keith smacked his shoulder before he laid down and cuddled into his chest, Shiro's rumbling flowing through Keith like the best kind of medicine. "You know what I mean," Keith said, and he relaxed when Shiro's arms came to rest around his back. "I don't want to come back and find her a different person from the one I know. I'd be devastated."

Shiro hummed beneath him, and Keith closed his eyes. Content here to lay in his husband's arms. "I don't think you need to worry about that. Kodi's gonna be a kid forever."

Keith snorted. "I wish. But can you imagine if she was stuck in that terrible threes age for eternity?" He shivered at the mere thought, suddenly grateful for nature's natural course.

"I think you mean terrible twos."

"No, that awful year definitely hit her when she was three. Don't you remember how she bit Lance at his daughter's third birthday party? And Kodi is older than her."

"Yeah, but don't _you_ remember how she toppled over Hunk's masterpiece cake at the garrison staff party because she was mad when she realized that it wasn't for her? And that was just after we got her when she was two."

Keith stilled, wracking his brain to go through the ton of memories he'd acquired over the last three years with Kodi. "Hold up, are you saying that her terrible two phase lasted for two whole years? Until she was _four_?"

Shiro was laughing now, and Keith could only tell because he was laying completely on top of him and could feel the soft shaking of his torso beneath him. Keith grunted and squeezed his thighs around Shiro's hips in admonishment. "Quit laughing! It's not funny; it's a terrible, terrible mistake, and I want compensation."

"Compensation _for what_?" Shiro laughed. "From who? Sure, let's just ask Kodi to repay us for all the suffering we had to endure— Oh."

Shiro patted Keith pointedly on his lower back, and when Keith opened his eyes, he was met with two big brown eyes glaring up at him. Keith had to bite his lip to keep from smiling as Kodi put her hands on her hips and stood there beside them, playful anger radiating from her tiny frame.

" _Hey_ ," she said, drawing the word out, and Keith sat up to face her wrath head on. "That is _my_ spot, Daddy. Move, please!"

Keith mimicked her stance and placed his hands on his hips. "Your spot? I was here first," Keith said, and he clung to Shiro in a great display of possession. Kodi huffed indignantly and moved to pry Keith back enough for her to climb up and slide in between them, sitting identical to Keith now as she was the one to cling to Shiro's chest.

"Ha ha," she said teasingly as she squeezed Shiro's neck tightly, a bright, victorious smile on her face. Shiro laughed as he reached around Kodi to grab a hold of Keith's hips, keeping the three of them connected in a weird tangle of limbs.

"You guys can share my lap. There's plenty of space."

Kodi squeaked, and Keith huffed, and they both said, "But I don't wanna share!"

"Hey, now, children," Shiro said, and Kodi giggled as she leaned back and whispered to Keith, "He called you a children."

"I think someone needs to go in timeout and learn about the golden rule again," Shiro said, smiling at him overtop of Kodi's head, and Keith's heart felt so full, so much more complete with their daughter here between them, snug and safe and in their arms.

"Yeah, Daddy, I think you need to go in timeout and learn golden rules," Kodi said.

Keith slowly inched his fingers forward, and before she knew it, she was a squealing mess beneath his fingertips as he tickled her sides where she was most ticklish. Keith and Shiro laughed along with her as Kodi flailed around and tried to twist in Shiro's lap to face Keith. She finally managed, and when she grabbed his wrists, he let her become victor.

"I said, _stop_ ," she laughed, gripping tightly onto his wrists and pinning them down to his sides with all her newly acquired guardian strength she boasted about.

"Oh, right, sorry. I couldn't hear you over all that laughing you were doing, my mistake," Keith said.

Kodi started playing with Keith's wrists, flopping them up and down to his sides, and over her head, he caught the look Shiro gave him. Just a tilt of his head and a raise of his eyebrows, but he knew what he was he suggesting. Keith took a steadying breath and slowly pulled his wrists from her grasp and threaded their fingers together instead.

"Hey, listen, kid," Keith started, and Kodi could sense the change immediately. Her excited bouncing quieted until she was staring up Keith patiently. "So … I decided to go on more missions," he started, deciding to edge in with this. It'd be easier to explain how he was still going on the trips, just not right now, if she had it in her mind that he was still going at some point.

Kodi squeezed his hands and grinned proudly up at him. "You are?"

"Yeah," he said, letting her warmth radiate him, brighten him up like it always did. Shiro's hands were still on his hips, soothing circles into the heat of his skin. "But it's probably gonna be a while before I go back out there."

"Why? Don't people need help all the time?"

"Well, yeah, but I'm not the only one who can help. There's a whole team of people who are up there right now fighting battles and saving people. They don't need me all the time. So, I decided to just stay here with you guys until I'm _really_ needed up there, and then I'll pick up these missions again when you're older, so I can see you start your first day of school, and lose your first tooth, and make your first school project. I don't want to miss any of your firsts. So, what do you say?" Keith ran a hand back through her hair, easing the bangs out of her eyes so he could see her clearly. "That sound good to you?"

Kodi hummed to herself as she tilted her head from side to side, but she finally gazed up at him and said, "Yeah. I don't want you to miss anything, either. I would be sad."

Shiro brought his hands up to rest on Kodi's shoulders, squeezing reassuringly. "I'd be sad, too."

"And me, too," Keith finished. "So, it's all agreed then? Everyone's okay with me taking those missions later on when we're all a bit older?"

"Uh huh," Kodi said, bobbing her head and down frantically.

Shiro leaned his chin down on Kodi's shoulder, and she immediately untangled her fingers from Keith's to bring her arms up to wrap around Shiro's neck, keeping him tethered to her. His eyes sparkled with gratitude as he smiled softly at Keith. "Fine with me," he said, and then he murmured silently with his lips for Keith's eyes only. _Thank you._

Keith grasped Shiro by the back of his head and pressed a kiss to his forehead, lingering long enough to relay the message. Because like Keith had hoped Shiro could tell earlier, Keith knew that Shiro was thanking him for so much more than just staying. He was thanking Keith for finding him over and over again and _saving_ him. He was thanking him for making amends with Kodi and being the best daddy that he could to their wild child. He was thanking him for knowing Shiro to his core and knowing how much a separation would hurt him, and staying for him because of that.

Because he was. Keith was solely staying for Shiro because he was positive he could take missions on days Kodi didn't have big events; he was sure of it. And even though Shiro said he didn't want to ask Keith to stay behind and leave the rescuing to other people, Keith knew him well enough to not even put him in that position. He would never have Shiro feel torn over having to make Keith choose between his desires and his family. Keith would stay under the pretense of wanting to be there for Kodi, but there was no mistaking in his heart that he'd done this for Shiro. And Keith was completely okay with that. He'd give up the stars and move realities just to be with Shiro, and he knew Shiro would never ask such a thing of him, but that's precisely why Keith knew he would move the world for him. And now it was Keith's turn to not demand anything more of Shiro than he could give.

So, Keith would stay until the day came that Shiro was completely okay with the idea of short-term missions. And even if that day never came, that would be okay, too. He'd continue living his life here with his family like he was meant to be. But knowing Shiro, he knew that there would come a time where he would urge Keith back onto the battlefield because they were partners; they knew each other in every sense of the word, and while they knew when to push and pull to get what they wanted and when to step back and give the other what they needed, they always ended up right where they were meant to be in the end, leaving no room for regrets. A perfect balance.

Until that day came though, Keith was perfectly happy to be sitting here in Shiro's lap with their daughter giggling between them, because this was his family, the family he'd worked his entire life trying to find after being alone for so long. They gave him the best feeling in the world, the feeling of being loved and wanted and _needed._ Keith hadn't ever felt needed before Voltron came into his life, but this was a different kind of need. This was a need that was shrouded in both want _and_ love, and Keith got high off the unfamiliar feeling. He'd be a fool for wanting for to give it up just for a few cheap thrills.

Kodi yawned widely between them, an action that proved to be contagious as Keith and Shiro followed suit. Shiro patted her sides. "You didn't finish out your nap, did you?"

Kodi didn't answer, but she rubbed at her eyes and slid down out of their laps before she tugged on both of their hands. "Let's go. I'm tired."

Keith glanced at Shiro, suddenly feeling just how weary his own body suddenly felt. He hadn't had a good night's sleep since before he left last month. Last night didn't count because he and Shiro barely found time to fall asleep between Keith's grabby hands demanding attention all over his body from his lover all throughout the night. He'd meant to go back to sleep earlier to make up for that, but then he'd stepped on Kodi's toy and kickstarted his morning.

"I'm tired, too." Keith took Kodi's hand and pushed himself out of Shiro's lap. He scooped Kodi up into his arms and reached out his free hand to Shiro in invitation. "Come to bed with us?"

It was nearly the afternoon now, and even though Shiro had probably gotten more sleep than Keith or Kodi had that morning, he still grabbed up Keith's hand with a smile.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," Shiro said, and he took Keith's hand.

Keith pulled his family along with him up the stairs and to their king bed, Shiro situating Kodi between them as Keith pulled the blankets up and over the three of them, a nice, warm tangle of different sized limbs overlapping each other, and Keith smiled to himself at Shiro's sentiment.

 _My thoughts exactly._

* * *

 **So I kind of loved this? Ugh domestic sheith kills me okay and i might write more of these three, i hope i can continue this family in some way. Thanks for reading!  
**


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